Two more files are active and investigators are also examining 4,000 websites, he said.

The fake medications sent by mail have included anti-depressants, sedatives, prescription weight-loss products, heart medications, hormone-replacement therapies, and erectile dysfunction drugs, said Pound.

Ardiel said Asia was the primary source of the medications.

She said consumers can't be sure the medications are genuine and safe because there are no assurances of quality control, as there are when buying through a Canadian pharmacy.

Ardiel said Health Canada has advised the agency that among the ingredients in many of the products were undisclosed pharmaceutical medicines and dangerous chemicals.

Pills seized in Operation Pangea V originated in 18 countries, said Pound, but the operations are international in scope.

Production labs are often located in Third World countries, with individuals known as transporters importing the products into Canada before they are distributed.

"When you're dealing with large-volume distribution of these things strictly driven by profit, I think that's when we're saying this is an organized crime group," he said.

"They then generate these profits through the sales of the counterfeit pharmaceuticals, the illicit medicines. They turn around and reinvest that money into other criminal activity."

Ardiel said while agents have seized hundreds of smaller packages of counterfeit drugs, many of the parcels contain thousands of dosages. She said the largest interception in Vancouver contained 8,000 doses.

When packages contain thousands of doses, those doses are meant for commercial purposes, she said.

"I would like to ensure you that the CBSA will continue our vigilance in interdicting these dangerous products," she said.

"We will continue to work with the RCMP and Health Canada to protect the health and safety of all Canadians."

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The 5 Drugs Most Commonly Abused By Post-50s

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While stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall are highly addictive, abuse among older people is not as widespread as it with young adults. However, illicit stimulants like cocaine are more common. In 2008, 63 percent of 118,495 emergency room visits made by those 50 and older involved cocaine. The number of older cocaine users likely increased in the past few years since more than 550,000 adults aged 50 and older reported cocaine use, according to a 2011 report.
(Image via Flickr, Alex Dodd)

While the names are varied -- Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro, among others -- the effects are similar. Used primarily to treat depression and mood disorders, antidepressants have a slight potential for abuse and addiction. According to a 2010 report from The Drug Abuse Warning Network, antidepressants contributed to 8.6 percent of emergency room visits by adults 50 and older.

Most often used to treat anxiety and insomnia, sedatives like Valium and Xanax may become addictive if taken incorrectly, or used too often. The Drug Abuse Warning Network identified sedatives, or depressants, as the pharmaceutical involved in 31.8 percent of emergency room visits by older adults.
(Image via Flickr, Dean812)

Painkillers like Oxycodone, Vicodin and Morphine have a high potential for abuse. According to a Drug Abuse Warning Network report, pain relievers were the type of pharmaceutical most often involved in emergency room visits for post-50s, encompassing 43.5 percent of senior ER visits. The vast majority of painkiller-related ER visits -- 33.9 percent -- involved high-level narcotics, rather than over-the-counter pain relievers.

While many people have medical prescriptions for marijuana use, 3 million adults aged 50 and older have illegally used the drug within the past year, according to a 2011 report from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a branch of the U.S. Government's Department of Health and Human Services. Out of 4.8 million older adults who used illicit drugs, marijuana use was more common than non-medical use of prescription medicines among the 50 to 59 age range (though the opposite was true for those 60 and older). Marijuana is also far more popular among men than women aged 50 and older.